Review of Angry Birds for Android

Angry Birds has recently been released on Android, and is free for a limited time on the Android Market. Find out what makes this game as addictive as it is and if the Android version is as good as on other platforms.

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Angry Birds Finally Available on Android

Although the Android mobile platform is catching up in terms of application numbers in the market as compared to the iPhone, in terms of games, this may not necessarily be the case. Big developers seem to hold off on creating Android games, as the platform is more fragmented than the iPhone's iOS system. Nevertheless, one of the most popular games on iOS has now found its way to Android, namely Angry Birds.

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Concept of Angry Birds

Angry Birds is a game that is very simple in terms of gameplay. A player has a variety of birds, all with their own ‘abilities’ that can be shot with a catapult. The aim is to get back the eggs that the pigs have stolen from them. However, the pigs have protected themselves with all kinds of constructions. It is up to the player to take down the constructions to eliminate the pigs. The concept couldn’t be simpler, however, it makes for a highly entertaining game and time-waster.

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Gameplay; Boomerang Birds and Royal Pigs

Angry Birds for Android compares well to its iPhone counterpart. The game boasts hours of gameplay and a high level of re-play possibilities. Just like the iPhone version it has become immensely popular amongst Android users, and for good reason.

The gameplay of the game is highly addictive. Although the game is simple in its concept, the gameplay offers enough variation to keep you interested for a long time. First of all, there are three different ‘worlds’, dubbed ‘Poached Eggs’, ‘Mighty Hoax’, and ‘Danger Above’. Each of these worlds have different sets of levels, which each seem to represent a different time of the day. A player has to unlock all the different worlds while playing the game, so not all worlds are accessible at first.

Although the worlds have their own theme, the concept seems to be similar throughout the entire game; shooting birds to eliminate the pigs, to ultimately retrieve the stolen eggs. The pigs differ in size and ‘rank’ and therefore some bigger, better equipped, ones need a bit more effort to defeat. There is even a ‘royal’ pig, which seemingly is the leader of the bunch.

The birds that the player has to defeat the pigs differ as well. At first the player starts with red, plain, ones that don’t seem to have a special strength. Different birds become available while progressing in the game, so that in the end a wide range of different birds with different strengths are available. At some stage there is even a boomerang bird available to attack the pig’s fortification from behind.

Even when the game is finished there are still many challenges left to beat, adding to the addiction factor of Angry Birds for Android. There is for instance the ‘golden eggs’ challenge where these eggs represent special stages that can only be unlocked by reaching certain achievements. One of them is to get the highest rank, three stars, in each level. Angry Birds for Android both creates and satisfies gaming cravings!

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Graphics: 2D in its Fullest Glory

Although a ‘simple’ game, the graphics are impressive. The game is built in 2D, but is still highly polished, with a lot of nifty tweaks. These graphic advancements are the reason Angry Birds is one of the most polished games available in the market and show the quality intentions by the developers. For instance, when pinching to zoom out during the game, the level's background zooms individually from the rest of the game, creating a sense of depth.

Besides these impressive graphical elements, the overall look and feel of the game is excellent. The atmosphere is overall very jolly, adding to the fun factor of Angry Birds. The physics, which are used to have the different fortifications tumble over, are well detailed and used in clever level design. The golden egg levels, once available, are more evidence of clever level design, and it shows that the developers had a good time exploring the possibilities of their developed physics engine. Part of Angry Birds strength is therefore also the fun level designs and excellent graphics.

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Final Words

Without further ado, Angry Birds is the definitive game to have on any Android device. As the full game is freely available in the Android Market for a limited amount of time (although ad supported) there is no excuse for not getting it. Although 3D games are also slowly trying to find their way on to the platform, a seemingly ‘simple’ 2D game such as Angry Birds still proves that a cleverly designed, well thought out ‘action’ game still wipes the floor with anything else available on Android.